The salary book showed that a pastor at a protestant church makes CHF9,084 ($9,023) per month, putting them among the highest earners ahead of army officers, civil engineers and journalists, for example. However, that is for a 48-hour work week, eight hours more than most of the professions reported in the survey since normal full-time employment in Switzerland constitutes 40 hours per week. A Catholic priest in the Zurich region earns CHF8,595 per month for a 42-hour work week. Pastors’ working hours are typically longer because they visit parishioners and perform ceremonies in addition to their normal duties at churches.

Werner Näf of the Swiss Pastors’ Association explains that pastor salaries differ significantly from canton to canton in Switzerland. A pastor must also have a Masters degree, which takes at least five years to complete, and must serve as a trainee making CHF2,500 per month before being assigned to a permanent position.

Näf says that pastor salaries in Zurich are indeed high when put in an international context. But, he points out that salaries elsewhere in German-speaking Switzerland can be up to 20% lower and those in French-speaking regions lower still.

“The number quoted in the salary book is not representative,” he says.

Näf adds that many years ago, a rule of thumb was that a pastor working about 50 hours a week would earn about the same amount as a teacher at an upper secondary school for students planning to attend university. However, he says that rule no longer always applies since pastors’ salaries are generally lower than they used to be.

Churches in Switzerland are funded through taxes collected from church members directly through cantonal tax systems. A person declares to authorities which religion they belong to – if any – and is taxed accordingly if the religion is formally recognised by the canton.

Of course, when looking at Swiss salaries, it’s important to keep in mind that the country’s cost of livingexternal link is among the highest in the world. The budget below shows what a typical middle-class family might spend their earnings on in a given month.

I can’t give you the details now, but I heard of some priests who were atheists just because it was a good paying profession. Statistics show in Switzerland that the Protestant Priests are having the longest life. Well, they have less stress: their mistakes are only visible in the next life!